NNN COOK “Syncretic Offering” C30 (Close/Far)

Merriam-Webster defines “Syncretism" as "1 : the combination of different forms of belief or practice” and "2: the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms”. 

NNN Cook’s “Syncretic Offering” meta-re(de)fines itself as a blend of the two, a sprawling cinematic journey across, to name but a few elements: synthetic and organic tones (and overtones), a fleeting, danceable beat, a handful of disembodied soundbites, persistent lush and haunting swells, and a chaotic avian/amphibian field collage toward the end, all these (and more) working in concert to enchant and entrance the listener into a heightened meditative state. 

These are gloriously bewitching sounds to make art under, while getting lost in the mix, with tons and tons of layers and nuance. Good headphones are a must, for maximum effect, but it’s also surprisingly pleasant as a background soundtrack, too!

https://nnncook.bandcamp.com/album/syncretic-offering

http://www.close-far.com/

and/or

https://nnncook.com/

—Jacob An Kittenplan

NNN COOK "Dowser" C20 (Close/Far Recordings)

N(NN) Cook is both the curatorial head of Missouri’s Close/Far Recordings AND one S-E-R-I-O-U-S polyrhythmic/mood/sound collage artist! Across two action-packed 10 minute sides, he wisely stacks soundbites, field recordings, cyclic loops, organic flutes, processed pedal-work, distant drones…the list goes on & on...all in a seamless, dreamlike sequence of details, both intentionally hazy and crispified.

The big take-away here is that “Dowser” is an edge-of-yr-seat thriller of distinct vignettes that each add upon one another, both forward and back, in the mind’s ear, appealing to sensibilities cinematic as well as down-right primal.

Brilliant soundtrack for writing and/or sketching up dystopian relationships of the emotional/social/superficial variety. Seriously good shit!

https://soundcloud.com/n-n-n-cook/i-wheel-of-light-cult-ii-reservoir-liquid-spirit
and/or
http://close-far.com/

-- Jacob An Kittenplan

DAS “Feinted Haunts” (Close/Far)

Look DAS, I get it. I, too, was a freaky “X-Files” fan, which I’m assuming you are, because nobody who’s not an “X-Files” fan says this about their music:

“‘Feinted Haunts’ is about the line between fascination and fixation where memories can become haunted and how grappling with them can be as perplexing and disturbing as the deepest desire to witness the supernatural.”

I have a deep, deep desire to witness the supernatural. In fact, I may already have. I’ve seen UFOs (as in unidentified flying objects – who’s to say whether they were “alien” or “supernatural” or whatever). Really. I’ve seen a demon manifest itself. Really. I’ve come across gnomes in the deep, dark Bavarian forest. Really.

But what DAS gets, what isn’t necessarily obvious when you think about it, is the VIBE, the mood, the intense propulsion of a narrative thread and of excitement. Channeling John Carpenter, channeling other composers who think like John Carpenter, DAS plugs in to the darkness, the night terrors, the weird black shadows where stuff lurks that you don’t really want to encounter.

Oh, but you really want to encounter it. That’s the point.

Then “Feinted Haunts” is for you. It will accompany you on all your late-night ghost/alien/demon/oddity-hunting adventures. It will soundtrack your games of D&D. It will accompany you on your walk home from Bob’s apartment. It will be there when you need the fortitude to whip out your phone’s camera and record whatever the hell it is that’s in the alley over there. And it will do it gladly, and without fear. Because what’s life if you can’t impose a little mood music on your dangerous situations now and then?

Boring, that’s what. Even if you die in the process.

DAS (whose Bandcamp link is “Feinted Haunts”? I’m confused)

Close/Far

--Ryan